This invention relates to a clay cutter. The clay cutter is used by a potter to cut a relatively large slab or block of green clay into smaller pieces of a uniform size and weight.
A potter, particularly a "production potter", often desires to make several replications of the same piece of pottery; for example, a flower pot, mug, plate, bowl or the like. Making such replications can be accomplished easier and faster if the potter starts with the same amount of clay for each of the pieces.
The starting ball of clay can be weighed to obtain the same size, but this requires time and effort. If the ball of clay is too heavy a piece can be pinched off of the ball to reduce its weight, until the desired weight is obtained. However, correcting an underweight ball of clay can create serious problems. Adding a pinch of clay back onto the ball risks introducing an air bubble into the ball. If the bubble remains, the trapped air can cause cratering of the surface or even fragmenting of the piece during firing.
One way to reduce this risk is to "wedge" the clay. Wedging is similar to kneading bread but without folding. The clay is "smeared" so that any air bubbles are wiped out. Wedging also serves to homogenize the clay with respect to moisture and composition. Hand wedging is time-consuming, takes away from production time and is hard on the potter's wrists.
Another way to homogenize and remove air from green clay is to process the clay in a pug mill. From a pug mill extrusion of uniform cross-section, equally weighted slabs of clay can be obtained by cutting off the same length of clay with each cut.
Several cuts can be made at the same time by using a frame having several wires strung between opposite sides. Some potters will have a small collection of such frames each with different spacing between wires. Slight adjustments in the amount of clay required to make a different piece, or changing from one pug mill die to another requires restringing an existing frame or making another frame with a different wire spacing.
Insofar as is known, a clay cutter with an easily adjustable wire spacing has not been heretofore developed, and is the subject of this invention.